


don’t hold back when you could be dating

by navaan



Series: Always DATE Your Heroes [2]
Category: Iron Man: Armored Adventures
Genre: Confessions, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluffy Ending, Howard Stark's Good Parenting, Identity Porn, M/M, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, POV Steve Rogers, Romance, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 06:42:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9422900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/navaan/pseuds/navaan
Summary: Steve is pretty new to this world, and he thinks Iron Man is pretty swell.





	

**Author's Note:**

> An insight into what was going through Steve’s head during [always meet your heroes](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9083989) written as a fill for the “free” square on my Cap-IronMan Bingo card that can be found [here](http://navaan.livejournal.com/297771.html).

Steve had absolutely wanted to come. He had a good excuse. Since SHIELD had found a way to wake him from his cold slumber, he was on a steep learning curve. There was so much catching up he still had to do and, yet, he had already helped thwart he plans one of his oldest enemies. 

“No Captain America without Hydra close on his heels?” Natasha, his assigned partner for the time being, grinned at him. “It’s better than half alien supervillains.”

“That’s a joke, right? About the aliens?” He remembered his own frightfully beating heart as he read _War of the Worlds_ for the very first time.

She shook her head. “I forget that you haven’t even seen Thor yet. That’s one handsome alien boy, if ever there was one. But no, I was talking about one of Iron Man’s enemies. Half alien stretches it a bit, but… it’s a long story and it _does_ involve a bit of an alien invasion, but I’m sure he can tell the story much better than I ever could.”

His throat suddenly dry, he looked over at where Tony was standing close to his father and whispering with James Rhodes. The two of them had constantly been whispering as Howard had inspected the debris of the latest Hydra weapon. It was so rare to see Tony outside of the Iron Man armor – only the second time Steve had seen him - and his gaze kept coming back to him. They’d fought together as Cap and Iron Man twice now, but they hadn’t really been introduced to each other outside of costumes.

Tony had no idea who was watching him.

Everyone knew who Iron Man was, but part of Captain America had always been that nobody knew who he was outside of costume.

Rhodes clapped Tony on the shoulder - Steve’s insides clenched when he saw it - and then both young men were laughing together. He looked away quickly although he knew he would like the expression on Tony’s face.

“You do realize he’s in absolute awe of you?”

“Not me,” Steve said and he had a feeling he was a bit redder in the face than was normal, because Natasha was smiling at him like he was the most interesting social experiment she’d ever observed. And Steve had a feeling that in her line of work she'd watched quite a few men squirm. “He’s in awe of Captain America.”

“You do realize that is essentially the same thing?”

He shook his head. It was easy for her to say, but despite Captain America having had some romance in his life that got complicated by his dual identity, _Steve Rogers_ in his own mind was still sometimes the sickly kid from Brooklyn who couldn’t find a dance partner, _ever_. People liked Cap, but Steve was not someone most people were interested in.

“Alright,” Natasha said with a nod, “it’s not the same thing. Have you tried to talk to Tony when he’s not Iron Man and you’re not Captain America?”

“I was under the impression that he doesn’t like SHIELD agents?”

Natasha threw her head back as she laughed. “Iron Man wasn’t always a favorite around here. Especially before everyone learned who was beneath the mask. But Tony has different reasons to be careful. Technically, you do not need to be a SHIELD agent either. I’m not a SHIELD agent. I’m a special operative working with SHIELD.”

He smiled. “I’m learning about all of my options, thanks.”

She winked and then noticed that his eyes were drawn again by James Rhodes hand patting Tony on the head like he was an overgrown pet. “They are friends. Like brothers.”

This time he blushed and he knew it. There was no way she wasn’t seeing it, too. “It’s not… I’m not…”

“Jealous?”

He huffed. “I can talk to Iron Man like that,” he nodded towards the two young men. “And then I can’t when I’m Steve and he’s just Tony. It’s ridiculous. I just want to say hello and then I realize he has no idea we just saved the city together. It’s silly. But I know how this game works, but I used to play it with army people and civilians and not with other heroes.” 

“Fury said it was up to you to decide how you want to go about this in the future.” Reading Natasha was hard at the best of times, but he found it got harder when she talked about anything that fell more in the personal corner of life. 

“I know.” He watched a redheaded girl with freckles enter the room and jump towards Tony, hugging him before quickly pulling away. She talked faster than Tony and in Steve’s book that was fast enough that it should be impossible. But Tony’s face lit up and Rhodes smiled and Steve knew this was the pilot of the rescue suit, Virginia Potts. They were all so young. She and Tony had been classmates and now everyone knew she was trying to become part of SHIELD, but at the same time seemed like she preferred staying with Tony on his little “Team Iron Man”. “It was just always easier to protect the people I cared about when I could hide behind the mask. Not that it really helped the ones who went out there with me. This whole secret served a purpose.”

Something about the three young friends just did not let him go.

Natasha let him stare in silence, but when Tony looked up and Steve finally drew his gaze away, feeling like the creepy guy at the baths suddenly, Natasha was looking at him again with a thoughtful frown. 

Thankfully, she didn’t push. It was hard enough to deal with this brave new world he’d woken up to without the constant pushing and prodding by whoever was evaluating him today.

* * *

Following Natasha's advise, he approached Tony later when he found him sitting by himself and looking slightly out of place in the Helicarrier mess hall, sticking out between all the agents in his civilian clothes. Steve liked to see him in jeans and t-shirt, dressed like a normal kid his age. _He reminds you of Bucky_ , he thought. _You’re glad to have someone at your side again who fights the likes of Hydra and worse, too. It's natural you're taking an interest in the person behind Iron Man. He's your strongest ally._

It was also good to finally be able to introduce himself with his real name. Perhaps he shook Tony’s hand a little longer than strictly necessary, but he couldn’t resist. He’d wanted to shake his hand from the start, but the only times he’d ever gotten close had been as Captain America and Tony had been head to toe in armor.

He really wanted to know more about someone who had fought aliens and villains of the likes of AIM from a young age, because he could and not because he had to.

And Tony, eyes bright and shining with interest, voice less serious than it was on the battlefield, didn’t seem to mind the attention. “Most SHIELD agents who get close hope to get something out of it,” he admitted to Steve on their second unplanned lunch meeting. Today, Tony was waiting for his father, who had taken over all of the Helicarrier contracts again. 

“You’re not comfortable with SHIELD?”

“My best friend is set on becoming a SHIELD agent. Took a while until SHIELD was comfortable with _us_.”

“Fury speaks highly of you.”

Remembering something Steve had told him earlier, Tony quipped: “I’m not sure he’ll be much happier than Natasha that you gave that away. People around SHIELD like their secrets, agent. You should know that.”

“They like you. They are professionals and they will always put their objectives first, but they think when it comes to protecting the world you’re probably their best bet.”

Tony laughed and his eyes twinkled. “Don’t tell that to my dad. He… God, he worries enough as it is. And now they do have Captain America. He’d be the first one I’d call.”

“Really?” Steve asked and the feeling of disconnect that had always come with talking about himself like he was two people slowly settled in. “What makes him better than Iron Man? He’s a soldier from a war that is long over.”

The incredulous look on Tony’s face made Steve pause suddenly and the next minute he was on the receiving end of an excited rant that made him smile. His throat went a little dry when he realized he was listening to Tony telling Steve Rogers all the ways in which Captain America had been the first real superhero.

“You’re built an armor like this and did so much good with it,” Steve said, his own voice going soft, “and you’ve fought with so many incredible people at your side. I mean last week you and Cap teamed up with _Thor_.”

“Wow, yeah, he’s cool,” Tony agreed. “Also he talks like he’s fallen out of story book, it’s just amazing. And he hits with that hammer like Hulk on a very green day. Don’t tell Dr. Banner I said that, because he’s amazing, but Hulk _does_ hit like a rage monster when he’s annoyed. But I don’t think anything has ever been as amazing as meeting Captain America.”

Steve laughed at the casual way Tony described these events that still seemed this side of incredible to him. “I’m sure Cap was equally impressed meeting someone like Iron Man.”

Tony chuckled nervously and he rubbed at the back of his head in a gesture that spoke of embarrassment. “You think so?”

“I’m sure of it.” After all he'd never imagined a flying armor of that technical standard was even possible. He had a feeling that Tony didn’t believe a word he was saying, though.

“At first I thought I was seeing things,” Tony admitted. “I wasn’t sure he could be real. My dad is such a fan, he collected all the Captain America paraphernalia he could get his hands on for years. Cap was my first ever action figure and my first real hero. Never thought I’d get to meet him. Who would have thought it was possible?”

The wistful note to Tony’s voice was new. Like everything else, Steve liked it too. _This isn’t like Bucky at all_ , he admitted to himself and tried to stop the heat to rise into his cheeks. Tony had so much on his plate already and both of them could use more friends. He wasn’t ready yet to make it complicated.

* * *

“Tell me about the alien invasion,” he said over food around the third time they met up while Tony was stuck on the Helicarrier. The Iron Man armor had taken a heavy hit this time and Natasha had promised to take him home as soon as she got out of her own debriefing, so Steve, who had not been part of the skirmish as either himself or Captain America this time, had taken the opportunity to bring bagels and snatch Tony away to one of his favorite places on the Helicarier from where you could watch the world and forget you were in a flying fortress.

Tony, seeming so much younger without the armor, raised both eyebrows. “Hasn’t SHIELD briefed all of you up and down until you had enough of it?”

“They have. But I’d like to hear the more personal report.”

Tony shrugged. “Okay, Steve,” he said, drawing out the name like he was testing it, “but I don’t think I have too much to add to my _report_. I’m not an agent.”

Realizing that Tony was teasing him about his word choice - not because it had been wrong or old-fashioned or out of place, but because to him he sounded like an agent fishing for information, he laughed, suddenly. “I just wanted to know the real story behind all the facts. It says that you and the Mandarin knew each other and worked together there for a while.”

“Ah, Gene, yeah.” Tony leaned back in his chair and a sad expression passed over his face and then was just tucked away, put beneath a different mask that wasn’t as complete as the red and gold one he usually wore.

“Never mind,” Steve said, “I didn’t want to fish for information.”

“Oh, I know, Steve,” Tony said lightly. And then completely switching the topic he said: “I’m going to graduate from university soon. Dad wanted me to take it slow, but it’s been a bit of a hassle to attend classes, seeing as everyone knows who I am. Professor Richards thinks I should just aim for another degree when I’m done with engineering. But… I’m Iron Man.”

“You are.”

“Do you mind?”

“Me?” He chuckled. “No. We wouldn’t know each other if you wouldn’t occasionally get stranded on SHIELD bases after all.”

“Right.” Tony smiled.

“Would you mind if we talk somewhere else sometime? Not on the Helicarrier or a SHIELD base. I… I haven’t seen New York in so long…”

Tony’s eyes zoomed in on his face and he grinned. “Yes, yes, I absolutely would want to. Do agents have days off?”

He remembered the way Iron Man had thrown himself in front of Captain America and taken a firey blast instead of him, how his shield had knocked out two AIM agents at once, when they’d taken down Tony’s armor with an EMP. He’d seen the footage of that last fight this morning and even he had been surprised at how perfectly they’d moved together. “Good team work,” Fury had praised. “What I’d expect from my two top heroes.”

But Steve had seen more than that.

He was getting to know Tony.

And Tony… without knowing it, he had gotten to know Steve.

“We do. Get days off,” he said and smiled.

* * *

Steve had been looking forward to spending time with Tony on Wednesday for the whole week. Of course then, on Wednesday all hell broke lose. He rushed to Tony’s side. He was partly buried under some rubble, but already freeing himself. Hydra had for once completely ignored Steve and turned on Tony, identifying him as the major threat. But Tony had outmaneuvered and surprised them all.

“That was brilliant, but dangerous,” Steve said and at the last moment remembered that he wasn’t Steve here.

“Just like me,” Tony quipped and even through the voice modulation it was clear he was out of breath, but highly amused.

“I’m beginning to learn all about it,” Steve said and smiled. “I’m glad to know you have my back… See you at debriefing?” He knew Tony didn’t actually go to all of them, but this had been a major attack and he had by now already given up on catching a movie and spending time with his friend.

“I… Actually, can I have a rain check on that? I have a date.”

“A date?” His voice got stuck in his throat. He hadn’t looked at it like that. Not because he wasn’t interested. Because he’d already admitted to himself he was. And Natasha kept teasing him about it, relentlessly… But Tony was young and he had so many people around him who wanted his attention and they weren’t even…. It wasn’t like back in the war when the people closest to him had _known_. Finding his voice again he said: “If it’s important to you, I won’t keep you.”

“You’re just the best, Cap. I’m sure you know.” Iron Man waved and pulled himself in the air, speeding off, waving back at him, where he was standing in the rubble. 

It took Steve the whole minute until even the tiniest speck of him had disappeared over the horizon to understand what had just happened.

For the first time since the serum, someone had chosen Steve Rogers over Captain America.

* * *

When he entered the debriefing room Fury stood with the back to him and at the desk Howard Stark was sitting with a neutral, slightly bemused expression. Steve mentally steeled himself for what he had to say.

“Sir?” he asked and Fury turned to look at him from one visible eye and then nodded.

The man already knew, Steve realized. So he looked over at Howard Stark, who met his gaze dead on. He’d seen Howard Stark before, but just now the resemblance made him bite his lips. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. It wasn’t like he was going to ask for his blessing, he just wanted to make sure that revealing his identity wouldn’t have repercussions for either him or Tony.

“Captain,” the man said.

He sought eye contact with Fury for a final time to make sure he wasn’t going to get in trouble for this - although right now he was ready to do this even if he were - and pulled the cowl from his face. “Mr. Stark,” he said.

“Mr. Rogers,” the man said and nodded, recognition chasing away the surprise before Steve could really pin it down. Howard Stark looked at Fury. “So, does this mean I can finally share this little detail with my son?”

“I would ask you to let me tell him myself, Mr. Stark. I think I owe him as much.”

“For the sake of good teamwork?”

Fury shrugged. “It is his decision.”

Stark gave Steve a more private smile. “I was glad when Captain America showed an interest in working with Iron Man and his team. Tony gets in over his head sometimes and I was glad to know someone like you would have his back. He's my son and if I had a say in it, he'd stay where it's safe, but I understand that he has chosen this path. So, yes, thank you for making me worry a little less. But I’m even more glad to see Tony has chosen a good friend outside of his heroics. He needs friends who are worth his trust.”

Steve nodded and smiled. “He told you about me?”

“He’s 19. He has his secrets. But I know him. It’s been just the two of us since his mother died and then he was all alone for a while, which is how the whole Iron Man thing got started.”

“I read the file,” Steve admitted.

“Then you know he has some trust issues.”

“That’s why I’m going to talk to him today.”

“Ah, yes,” Howard said and his eyes were sparkling with mirth. “He was looking forward to talking all week.”

Steve had been Captain America for long enough to keep a straight face. “This is not going to be a problem?” While he looked at Fury when he was asking, he was addressing both men.

“Most things that involve Iron Man become troublesome sooner or later, but that is true for all heroes.”

Finally, Steve had to laugh. “I have some experience with that.”

* * *

He implied right from the start that there was something he had to say to Tony, but he was also bristling with excitement. Since waking up he’d been introduced to tablets, to the Internet, DVDs, Blurays and streaming services, but nobody had actually taken the time to take him to the movies. And with Hydra back on the scene, he hadn’t really thought it a priority. 

“You’re really excited, huh?” Tony looked at im sideways and there was a slightly amused tilt to his smile and a bit of a question in his eyes.

“The movies were the only joy I had there for a while growing up. The only joy I could afford on the wage of an illustrator.” He knew, as the lights were dimmed and the advertisements started, loud and colorful and more impressive than most movies he’d seen back then, that Tony was staring at him.

The boy who had built Iron Man was no fool and Tony had been close enough to Cap enough times now to put two and two together slowly. He kept his eyes on the screen and let Tony mull it over.

“Can’t say I miss the sad news brought by he reels from war torn Europe.”

Tony frowned. “Alright, so apparently I took Captain America on a date,” he said and he sounded a bit too calm.

Steve wanted to worry, but he really was excited to be here in a modern theater, overwhelmed how the smell of popcorn and the sounds of the crowd were so familiar, but mixed with so many things that were just too different. “I don’t know,” he said, voice thick, “I may have been the one to take you on a date, strictly speaking.”

Part of him was waiting for Tony to be angry, to jump up and go, while the other one just wanted him to understand.

“You are Captain America,” Tony whispered.

“That’s a secret,” he whispered back, feeling the need to tease even now. When he turned his eyes away from the screen to gauge Tony’s reaction, his face was very close. He couldn’t look away from his lips and then Tony had leaned forward to kiss him.

He was supposed to be the more responsible of the two; an adult and hardened soldier. 

But the thrill of being young and alive and in a theater, a loud voice booming in his ears praising the benefits of drinking some sugary soft drink was so overwhelming that he raised his hand, pulled Tony closer and kissed him, like this was a battlefield and he wasn’t sure he was going back home.

He was never going back home.

But that wasn’t so bad, was it?

“I was worried my dad would disapprove of the age gap. I had no idea how big of age gap we would be talking about.”

“Har, har,” Steve said. He tried to avoid thinking about the actual numbers. He’d been asleep for a long time. “Sorry, for not telling you before.”

“Oh,” Tony said, not looking at the screen and self-consciously reaching for the coke he’d bought himself. His cheeks very red. “I did the whole secret identity thing. I now it gets complicated.”

Steve chuckled.

He wasn’t nervous anymore as he reached for Tony’s hand. “It’s good to finally properly meet you.”

Tony’s hand was hot and his laugh shaking a bit. “Likewise.”

They would have more to talk about later. For the first time since waking up he felt like he knew what he was getting into. 

Satisfied, he let the sounds of the movie wash over him never letting go of Tony’s hand.


End file.
